Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The Riverfront

Disneyland's "Rivers of America" has undergone substantial changes over the years, so I love these sunny, colorful photos from the 60's.

This first one is from July, 1966. A family has paused to take in the scenery, including the wonderful Mark Twain at the dock. No wait, it is already underway! "The folks back home won't believe us", they say to each other, even though their folks live 12 minutes from Anaheim. The woman in front of the gentleman with the plaid shirt has the most amazing oblate spheroid of platinum blonde (?) hair! 


Next is this beauty (dated April 1969), similar to the first photo, but this one has one of the greatest sports stars in history. Old #40! I don't have to tell you who it is. Isn't it amazing how he looks like a regular Joe? I still remember his inspiring performance at the 1960 Olympics in Rome!

I love the bright hues in this one, as well as the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoe zipping past. This looks like a perfect Disneyland day.


12 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

The Rivers of America look just lovely in these images. But it [they-?] are in danger of being upstaged by 1960's hairstyles. As you point out in the first image - although it's unlikely any hairdresser referred to that style as an "oblate spheroid"; but if the shoe fits... (Where else but at GDB, I ask you-?) And in that second image, 'ol #40 is dangerously close to being upstaged by that ladies hair, and that black elastic-? band, with 'white medallion', surrounding the whole getup. Oh - and as this image is from 1969, we can still refer to the canoes as the Indian War Canoes-!

Thanks, Major, for these beautiful images.

TokyoMagic! said...

Nanook, since you pointed it out, I'm now noticing that the back of that woman's hair doesn't match the top. I wonder if that was a wig cap (wiglet?) like the waitresses at Bob's Big Boy used to wear back in the day.

Old #40 is wearing light blue socks. Was that a thing in the sixties? I just saw a 1960's pic from the "Vintage L.A." Facebook page that showed a guy wearing light blue socks. Now, I did the very same thing in the eighties, but it was only to color coordinate them with my light blue Le Tigre sweater, of course.

JC Shannon said...

I agree, it looks like a perfect day on the river front. Madras plaid was all the rage in the mid 60s and yours truely had one as well. Fashion in the 60s was pretty cool... And then the 70s came and all couture went down the white throne. Love today's scans, thank you Major.

Melissa said...

The Banana Princess and the Olive Queen are NOT on speaking terms.

K. Martinez said...

Pre-Big Thunder Mountain is my favorite era of Frontierland. Nice pics today! Thanks, Major.

K. Martinez said...

One more thing. I love how the photographer captured a lamppost in the foreground of each pic. Gives is a nice touch. It'd make a nice dimensional ViewMaster reel image.

Tom said...

I'm pretty sure that's a Van de Graaff generator just in front of Mr Elbows. The brushed aluminum gives it away. In the mid sixties it was all the rage to bring your scientific apparatus to theme parks.

JC Shannon said...

@Mellissa I am so embarassed, I thought she was the Duchess of Lemmon!

Anonymous said...

Photos from the era when you could almost believe the River was real.

Beautiful pics, even the chrome dome.

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I think we all secretly wish that our hair formed oblate spheroids. But the ozone layer can’t take it! And yeah, what IS that thing on that woman’s head? I could figure it out. Maybe it’s a bow? As for the “War Canoes”, I originally planned to check to make sure that was right, but… you know how it goes.

TokyoMagic!, wiglets are so weird. We used to have a teacher who wore several different varieties; we called her “Wiggy” behind her back. Speaking of Bob’s Big Boy, I went to a Bob’s for the first time in years. It was awesome!

Jonathan, “madras plaid”… I learned something today! Never heard that term (as far as I know) before. The 70’s is odd, because you do see some people who look kind of great. But by and large, the styles are pretty bad.

Melissa, I’d like to think that they gave each other a secret high sign as they passed each other. Waving fingers beneath one’s chin, or something like that.

K. Martinez, I mostly miss the “frontier” feeling that is long gone from most of Frontierland. Much of the riverbank is more like “Overdevelopedland”.

K. Martinez, I didn’t even notice that the lamp posts appeared in both photos!

Tom, you mean the prog-rock band from Manchester?? ;-)

Jonathan, can’t she be BOTH?

JG, that lady doesn’t ever need to wear a bike helmet thanks to her bulletproof hair.

Melissa said...

I have the wiglet my Mom's twin used to wear to the office in the sixties. It's made of human hair, and it's designed to sit on the crown of the head and add height to your beehive. She used to drop it off to get styled once a week. I've never worn it. I have a handful of synthetic hair clip-ons, but I only wear them in shows.

Patrick Devlin said...

Nice shots, Major. I was out of town on a mini-vacation which is rare for me so my regular morning routine is refreshing. Thank you.